Morning under the stands arrived as a slow change in the color of the light that leaked through the floorboards.
The darkness shifted from black to gray to a pale, watery gold. I watched it move, measured the hours in the slow creep of the light across the wooden supports. We did not sleep. The bond made true rest impossible; every shift of weight, every shallow breath, every distant sound from the square above traveled between us. I felt Darius's exhaustion as if it were my own, felt the constant throb of his wounds, the stubborn refusal of his body to give up.
Lina woke first, checked her blade, and ate the last of the dried meat without ceremony. Her movements were efficient, mechanical. She had learned to fuel her body regardless of appetite. Sera's remaining wolves moved into their
